The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-01-17
I have recently taken quite a railway

or would enjoy very poor health all
winter. So l decided to go in search
of my health, II l died on the trail.
/ bought tickets at Cincinnati Of a
pale, sallow liar, who is just beginning
to work his way up to the forty-ninth
degree in the Order of Ananias. He
will surely be heard from again some
day, as he has the eleme nts that 60 to
make up a successful liar.
He said that could go through from
Cincinnati to Asheville, N. c., only one
easy change of cars, and in about
fwenty-three hours. 1t took me twice
that, and | had to change cars three
times in the dead of night.
The southern railroad is not in q
flourishng condition. II ought to go
somewhere for,its health. Anyway, it
ought TO go somewhere. which at pres
ent it does not According to the old
Latin proverb, l presume we should
say nothing but good of the dead, but
i am here to say that the railroad that
knocked my spine loose last week, and
compelled me to carry lunch baskets
and large Norm an two-year-old grip
sacks through the cleaning, till my
arms hung down to the ground, does
not deserve to be treated well. even af-
ter death.
do not feel any antipathy toward
the south, for | did not take any part
in the war, remaining in Canada dur
ing the whole time, so that l could not
be accused now of offensive partisan
ship. have always avoided anything
that would look like n settled conviction
in any of these matters, retaining al
ways fair, bipartisan and neutral
idlocy in relation to all national affairs,
so that. might be regarded rs a good
civil service reformer, ana perhaps at
some time hold an Office.
To further illustrate how fair-minded
| am in these matters, ] have patiently
read all the war articles written by both
sides, and | have not tried to dodge the
foot-notes or the marginal references.
or the war maps or the memoranda. |
have read all these things until l don't
know who was victorious, and if that is
not fair and impartial way to look at
the war, / don't know how to pro-
coed in order to eradicate my preju-
dices.
But railroad is not a political or Sec
tional matter, and il ought not be
local matter unless the train stays at
one end of the line all the time. This,
road, however. is the one that dis
charged its engineer some years ago,
and when he took his time check he
said he would now 90 to work for
sure-enough road with real iron rails to
it, instead of two streaks of rust and
right of way.
All night long. except when we were
changing cars. we ratified along over
wobbing trestles and third mortgages
The cars were graded from third class
down. The road itself was not graded
at all.
They have the same old air in these
coaches that they started out with.
Different people, with various styles OF
breath, have used this air and then re-
turned it. They are using the same air
that they did before the war. 1t is not.
strictly speaking, Il national air. 1t Is
more of languid air. with dark circles
around its eyes.
At one place where ! had an engage
ment to change cars, we had wait of
four hours, and / reclined on n hair
cloth lounge at the hotel with the in
tention of sleeping part of the time.
Dear, patient reader did you ever try
TO ride a refractory hair-cloth lounge all
night, bare back? Did you ever get
aboard short. old-fashoned hair-cloth
lounge, with disposition to buckp
L was told that this was kind, family
lounge, that would not shy or make
trouble any where, and had only just
closed my dark-red and mournful eyes
In sleep when this lounge gently
bumped itself, and shed me as It would
its smooth, dark hair in the spring,
ira la.
The floor caught me in its strong
arms and vaulted back upon the pol
ished bosom of the hair-cloth lounge.
1t was made for man about iifty-three
inches in length, and so had to sleep
with my feet in my pistol pockets and
my nose in my bosom up to the second
joint.
l got so that could rise of the floor
and climb on the lounge without wax
ing up. II got to be second nature to
me. did Just as man who is hung
ry in his sleep bites oil large fragments
of the air and eats involuntarily and
smacks his lips and;snorts So / arose
and deposited m, self again and again
on tina old sway-back, but frolicsome
wreck without waking. But couldn't
get aboard softly enouge to avoid wax
ing the lounge. 1t would yawn and
rumble inside and rise and fall like the
deep rolling sea. till at last gave up
,r,.;no, ~ elaon on n any more and